Fourthly, and this is more comfortable yet. That rather then God will let his people live and die without assurance, he will work assurance in you by a miracle, or by some unusual or extraordinary way. A famous instance you have for this, of a Gentlewoman that once lived in this City, (its Mr. Bolton that relates the story) one Mris Honywood; who was a famous professor of Religion, and a woman that for many years was much troubled in mind for the want of her assurance. At length there came a Minister to her, who endeavoured to settle her hopes and comforts in Jesus Christ; and he urging promises to her, she took it with a kind of indignation and anger, that he should offer to present any promise to her, to whom she thought it did not belong; and having • Venice glass in her hand, she holds up the glass and said, Speak no more to me of salvation, for I shall as surely be damned as this poor Venice glass shall be broken against the wall, throwing it with all her force to break it. But it pleased God, by a miraculous providence to preserve the glass whole. The Minister seeing this, took up the glass, and said, Behold, God must by a miracle work faith in you, before you will believe. And from that day, the story saith, she was a woman very strong in the assurance of Gods love. Here you see how God did indulge the infirmity of his poor servant. Rather then thou shalt live and die without assurance, God will bring it about even by a Miracle, this woman, it may be, had died unassured, if God had not confirmed her by some unusual way. I have read likewise in the Book of Martyrs, of Mr. Glove•, that all the while he was in prison, he was under a state of desertion, and very much clouded in his comforts, and could not have any apprehension of Gods love to his soul. Yet when ⟨p. 161⟩he came to Smithfield, and saw the stake, and the fire in which he was to be burnt, he cried out, I have found him, I have found him; and profest of himself, he was as full of joy as his heart could hold. The Lord made the very sight of the stake to be an inlet to present joy. One would have thought that the sight of the stake should have daunted him; whereas he then grew most confident.
Fourthly, and this is more comfortable yet. That rather then God will let his people live and die without assurance, he will work assurance in you by a miracle, or by some unusual or extraordinary way. A famous instance you have for this, of a Gentlewoman that once lived in this City, (its Mr. Bolton that relates the story) one Mris Honywood; who was a famous professor of Religion, and a woman that for many yeares was much troubled in mind for the want of her assurance. At length there came a Minister to her, who endeavoured to settle her hopes and comforts in Jesus Christ; and he urging promises to her, she took it with a kind of indignation and anger, that he should offer to present any promise to her, to whom she thought it did not belong; and having • Venice glass in her hand, she holds up the glasse and said, Speak no more to me of salvation, for I shall as surely be damned as this poor Venice glass shall be broken against the wall, throwing it with all her force to break it. But it pleased God, by a miraculous providence to preserve the glasse whole. The Minister seeing this, took up the glass, and said, Behold, God must by a miracle work faith in you, before you will believe. And from that day, the story saith, she was a woman very strong in the assurance of Gods love. Here you see how God did indulge the infirmity of his poor servant. Rather then thou shalt live and die without assurance, God will bring it about even by a Miracle, this woman, it may be, had died unassured, if God had not confirmed her by some unusual way. I have read likewise in the Book of Martyrs, of Mr. Glove•, that all the while he was in prison, he was under a state of desertion, and very much clouded in his comforts, and could not have any apprehe•sion of Gods love to his soule. Yet when ⟨p. 161⟩he came to Smithfield, and saw the stake, and the fire in which he was to be burnt, he cried out, I have found him, I have found him; and profest of himselfe, he was as full of joy as his heart could hold. The Lord made the very sight of the stake to be an inlet to present joy. One would have thought that the sight of the stake should have daunted him; whereas he then grew most confident.
